Improvement in projectiles for ordnance



2 Sheets- Sheet l. J. GAULT. l

Projeotile.

Patented July 2, 1861.

1,685. No' 32,689-g 2 4Sheets---Sheet 2. J. GAULT.

Projectile. N o. 3

Patented July 2, 1861.

NPETERS. PNOTO-LrrHOGRAPNER, wAsHmGrON, D. C.

Miramas,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN GAUUI, OF BOSTON, 'MASSACHISETTS.

IMPROVEMENT lN PROJECTILES FOR ORDNANCE.

Specilirntcn ll ruling rait of Leiters Patent No4 32,(3S9, dah-d July fl, lilil..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN GAULT, ot Bos` ton,in the county of Suffolk and State of Massa chusetts, have invented cert-ain new and useful Improvements in Proj ectiles for Ordnance; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a longitudinal view of a projec' l tile constructed according to my invention,

representing it in the condition in which it is placed in the gun, Fig. 2, a central longitudinal section of the same; Fig. 3, a transverse section of the same; Fig. et, a front view of the same in the condition it assumes during its iiight; and Fig. 5, a longitudinal section of a projectile,illustrating afeature of my invention not illustrated by Figs. l, 2, 3, and 4.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures. i

My invention consists in the construction of an elongated projectile with two or more movable sections formed by a longitudinal division of its bod-y, and hinged at the base or rear end ofthe projectile, fitted with a band or its equivalent to keep the said sections together in compact form previous to the insertion of the projectile in the gun and during the first part of its ilight, and with a cavity or chamber within and between the said sections to contain a charge of powder to be tired by a i'use for the purpose ot' bursting the said band or its equivalent, and spreading the said sections by its explosion, that the said sections may, in the continued flight ofthe projectile, have a wide sweep, and make the project-ile more destructive.

It also consists in making such movable sections hollow,'to contain gunpowder or other explosive material, and with vents leading to the aforesaid chan1ber,that the charges in the said sections may be fired by fuses ignited by the explosion of the charge in the said chamber for the purpose of bursting the said sections into fragments, and scattering such fragments in all directions in asuitable time ai'- ter the spreading of the sections.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe j and l. has four movable sections, A A, connected by hinges n, a with a basepiece, B, all of cast-iron, the said sections being solid and fitting together to forni a solid body, as represented in the sections Figs. 2 and 3, except near the point, where a cavity is formed in each to make the small chamber b to containthe charge of powder which is inserted in a cartridge, C, and a small orifice, d, through which a fuse, c, attached to the said cartridge, is left protruding, as shown in Figs. l-and 2, when the sections are closed up.

D is a band of soft metal castinto a groove, c c, formed round the exterior of the sections a c, for the purpose of holding them together after they have been closed up. This band also serves the purpose of a packing-ring to fit the grooves of a riiied gun, and of thereby receiving and imparting to the projectile a ro` tary motion.

E is a breeching or cup, of cast-iron, fitted to the exterior ot' the base of the projectile, and embracing the back parts of the sections A A, to serve t-he two purposes of holding the sections together' and of closing up the rear ot' the projectile to prevent the iire from the charge of powder used in the gun from entering between the sections and `tiring the cartridge C. This breeching may be attached to the basepiece B by various means; but I have represented it as provided with a central screwed pin, g, which screws into a ltapped hole, 71, in the center of the said piece. It must be made thin enough to be easily split by the forcing apart of the sections A A when the charge otthe cartridge C explodes. The said breeching may serve the purpose of holding the sections together without the band D: The hinges should be constructed with stopshouldersjf, to prevent the sections from being forced back beyond a given angle-say a right angle-to the axis of the projectile.

This projectile having had the cartridge C put in and been closed np is secured in the closed condition represented in Figs. l, 2, and 3 by the application of the band D or breeching E, or both, and in this condition may be.

transported any dista-nce for use. Then used, it is put in the gun in the same manner as a solid shot or shell, and the fuse, which is made of proper length according to the distance it is to be projected, is ignited either before its insertion in the gun orbylhc explosion ofthe and the fuse may be so timed that the sections Y in all respects like that shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3,

charge of the gun, aud when the fuse has burned to the cartridge C the explosion of the charge in the latter takes place and forces the movable sections A A apart, bursting the band I) and the breeching E, or either ot' them, if only one be employed. rlhe several sections A A then assume the positions shown in Fig. 4 and in red outline in Fig. 2,and by their great lateral range produce great destruction. Previous to the explosion of the charge in the chamber b the projectile is projected forward With as much accuracyas any solid shot,

will not separate till t-he projectile has arrived nearly close to where it is required to do exccution.

Instead ot' being made with a number of movablesections occupying its whole circumference, the projectile may be made with two or more movable projections arranged at equal distances apart, with iuterveningsolid and immovable portions of the proj eetile. The movable sections, instead of being solid, may be made with cavities the whole length of their interiors, thus enabling them to be made longer in a projectile of given weight.

The projectile shown in Fig. 5 illustrates the whole of my invention. It is constructed and 4, but that its sections A A,instead of being solid, are hollow, and the cavities or chainbers G G, formed within them, are filled with powder inserted through holes, which are afterward closed up by plugs i i', and vents j j are from the said chambers to the chamber b.

The vents j j receive fuses l' 7:, which are. longer or shorter according to the time desired to elapse between the spreading out of the sections and their bursting into fragments, such fuses being ignited by the explosion of the charge in b and carrying iire to G G. The bursting of the sections A A produces further destruction, and when the projectile has this feature its destructiveness is enormous.

I do not claim, broadly, the construction of projectiles with laterally-expanding rings, as such construction has been before known 5 but That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, iS-

l. The combination of the hinged movable sections A A and the chamber b, to contain a charge of powder within said sections, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2.' The soft-metal band D, tted to a groove, e e, in the said hinged movable sections A A, and serving the two purposes of confining the said sections and a packing-ring, substantially as herein specified.

3. The combination, with the movable sections A A, of the breeching E, applied substantially as and for the purpose herein speciiied.

4. The construction of the movable sections A A with chambers G G, connected with the central chamber, b, by vents jj, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

JOHN GAULT.

' Witnesses:

)L M. Livrxcs'rov. OcTAvIUs KNIGHT. 

